Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan is one of the world deepest river canyons. The Jinsha (Yangtze) River cuts between the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Haba Snow Mountain, creating a 3,000-meter-deep gorge
The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu, contain the world largest collection of Buddhist art. Over 45,000 square meters of murals and 2,415 painted statues span a thousand years of creation, from the 4th
Turpan in Xinjiang sits in one of the hottest and lowest depressions in China, yet supports one of the most productive agricultural oases in Central Asia. The city is famous for its grapes, melons, an
Karakul Lake lies at 3,600 meters on the Karakoram Highway between Kashgar and Pakistan. The lake, ringed by peaks including the 7,546-meter Kongur Tagh, is one of the highest driveable lakes in the w
The Kashgar Sunday Market is one of the most legendary bazaars in Central Asia. For centuries, traders from across the region have gathered to buy and sell livestock, goods, and produce. Today, despit
The Great Wall section between Jiankou and Mutianyu is one of the most dramatic and least restored stretches of the wall. Unlike the crowded tourist sections near Beijing, this route offers crumbling
The Yuanyang Rice Terraces in Yunnan Province are one of China most spectacular agricultural landscapes. Carved into the Honghe River hillsides by the Hani people over centuries, the terraces glow wit
The Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Province is the largest stone Buddha statue in the world, carved into a cliff face at the confluence of three rivers. Standing 71 meters tall, it was carved during t
張家界位於湖南省，以石英砂岩峰林聞名。電影阿凡達中的哈利路亞山就是以這裡的南天一柱為原型。2010年列入世界自然遺產。
袁家界
袁家界是張家界最精華的景區，有天下第一橋、迷魂台等景點。這裡的峰林密集，雲霧繚繞，如同仙境。百龍天梯可達山頂。
天子山
天子山以明初土家族領袖向大坤自稱天子而得名。這裡有御筆峰、仙女散花等景點，視野開闊，可觀賞雲海和日出。
金鞭溪
金鞭溪是一條幽靜
九寨溝位於四川省北部，以彩色湖泊、瀑布和雪山聞名。這裡有超過100個湖泊，顏色從翠綠到深藍，變幻莫測。1992年列入世界自然遺產。
五花海
五花海是九寨溝最著名的湖泊，湖水呈現多種顏色：湖底的鈣華沉積和藻類使湖水呈現藍、綠、黃等色彩。湖中沉木清晰可見，增添神秘感。
諾日朗瀑布
諾日朗瀑布寬270米，高20米，是九寨溝最大的瀑布。水流從鈣華堤壩上傾瀉而下，形成壯觀的水幕。冬季瀑布結冰
黃山位於安徽省，是中國最著名的風景名勝區之一。以奇松、怪石、雲海、溫泉四絕聞名於世。自古以來，黃山就是文人墨客的靈感源泉，留下了無數詩詞畫作。
四絕
奇松：黃山松生於岩石縫中，形態奇特，迎客松是黃山的標誌。怪石：飛來石、猴子觀海等怪石惟妙惟肖。雲海：雨後初晴時，山谷中雲霧翻騰，如大海波濤。溫泉：山腳下的溫泉可泡湯放鬆。
主要景點
始信峰是觀賞雲海和日出的最佳地點。光明頂是黃山第二高
麗江古城是納西族文化的核心所在。納西族是中國最獨特的少數民族之一，以其母系社會遺風、古老的東巴象形文字和獨特的建築風格聞名。
東巴文化
東巴文化是納西族的靈魂。東巴教是一種融合了西藏苯教、道教和薩滿教的民間信仰。東巴祭司使用世界上唯一存活的象形文字系統——東巴文，用樹皮紙手繪經書。東巴文化研究所收藏了數千冊珍貴文獻。
納西古樂
納西古樂是中國最古老的音樂之一，保留著唐宋時期的曲目。
平遙位於山西省中部，是中國保存最完整的古代城牆城市。建於西周時期，主要在明代重建，其6公里城牆、4000座傳統四合院和歷史街巷保存完整。1997年列入世界文化遺產。
古城牆
平遙城牆是中國最完整的城牆之一。建於1370年，呈正方形，每邊2.25公里，有72座敵樓和3000個垛口。約2小時可步行環繞全城。城牆高12米，厚3至6米，以夯土外包磚砌成。
票號之都
清代，平遙是中國的金融中
敦煌位於甘肅省西北部，曾是連接中國與西方的門戶。穿越戈壁的商隊在此進入中國，中國商人也從這個綠洲出發西行。如今，這裡仍是歷史和精神意義非凡之地——莫高窟是世界上最大的佛教藝術寶庫之一。
莫高窟
莫高窟開鑿在大泉河上方的崖壁上，包含超過45000平方米的壁畫和2000多尊彩塑，跨越從4世紀到14世紀的一千年。石窟由僧人樂尊於366年開始開鑿，據傳他在崖壁上看見千佛顯現。歷代僧人和信眾不斷擴建
喀什位於新疆西部，靠近吉爾吉斯斯坦邊境，是中國最獨特的城市之一。距離伊斯蘭馬巴德比北京更近，作為絲綢之路樞紐已超過兩千年。居民以維吾爾族為主，這個突厥語穆斯林民族的語言、美食和習俗與中國主體民族迥異。老城擁有泥磚巷道和傳統四合院，是中亞城市形態保存最好的範例之一。
老城
喀什老城是泥磚房屋和隱秘庭院的迷宮。許多房屋用當地黏土製成的日曬磚建造，牆壁厚達兩米，冬暖夏涼。政府有爭議地重建了老城部
紹興位於浙江省東部，是運河、石橋和文學幽靈之城。在上海以南僅70公里，儘管文化底蘊深厚，卻很少被外國遊客造訪。這是現代中國最具影響力的作家魯迅的故鄉，古代越國的都城，也是中國最古老的米酒黃酒的發源地。
運河與橋樑
與蘇州一樣，紹興建於水上。但蘇州的運河經過整治和旅遊化，紹興的運河仍是生活化的、平民的。窄船穿行水道，小販在運河市場賣菜，當地人在通向水面的石階上洗衣。城市有數百座古石橋——單拱
閬中位於四川省東北部，是中國四大古城之一，卻是最少被遊客造訪的。建城超過2300年，曾是嘉陵江上的軍事重鎮和商業中心。如今，其保存完好的古城提供了真實的前現代中國城市生活縮影。
風水之城
$閬中以風水城聞名。其佈局按古典風水原則設計：背山面水，五行平衡。城市坐落在嘉陵江彎曲形成的半島上，群山環抱。古城牆仍有部分保存，街巷格局數百年未變。
古城
與#與旅遊導向的古鎮不同，閬中仍是活著
大理位於雲南西部，蒼山與洱海之間，長期以來是逃避主流的理想之地。這裡曾是南詔國（8-10世紀）和大理國的都城，兩個獨立王國因連接中國、東南亞和西藏的貿易而繁榮。如今，這裡文化深厚、自然絕美。
白族人
白族是這裡的主要民族，以白色服飾聞名（白即白色之意），在農業、建築和藝術方面有深厚傳統。白族建築是中國最精緻的之一——注意寺廟屋簷的飛簷、門窗的精緻木雕和彩色繪畫門楣。崇聖寺三塔是!是大理的標
鳳凰古城位於湖南省西部，沱江之畔，是中國視覺上最震撼的古鎮之一。其吊腳樓依水而建，倒映在綠色的江水中。這裡是苗族和土家族世代居住的地方，也是作家沈從文的故鄉。
建築與沱江
鳳凰最標誌性的景觀是其吊腳樓——傳統的木質懸空建築，建在打入河岸的木樁上。這些深色木牆、灰瓦屋頂的建築，設計是為了在陡峭的河岸上最大化空間。沱江如玉帶穿城而過，當地人仍在江邊洗菜洗衣。石橋連接兩岸，虹橋是有頂棚的廊橋，橋
麗江位於雲南省西北部，海拔2,400米，是中國最迷人的目的地之一。與許多被打造成旅遊陷阱的古鎮不同，麗江保留著納西族鮮活的文化——這個少數民族以其母系社會習俗和古老的東巴文字而聞名。
古城：世界文化遺產
麗江古城於1997年被列入世界文化遺產。其鵝卵石街道、雕花門樓和柳蔭水渠?水道營造出真正古老的氛圍。許多建築可追溯至明清時期。古城佈局形如一方大研台，體現了納西人對學習的推崇。
納西
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The Silk Road was the ancient trade route connecting China with the West. Today, travelers can follow the route across northwestern China, passing historic cities, Buddhist caves, and desert landscape
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Taishan, in central Shandong Province, is the most revered of China's Five Great Mountains. For over 3,000 years, emperors made pilgrimages here to perform sacrifices; Confucius climbed its slopes; po
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Moganshan, in Zhejiang Province about 60 kilometers from Hangzhou, has been a summer retreat since the 1890s. Foreign residents of Shanghai built villas here to escape the city's heat. Today, the moun
Jiugongshan (Nine Palaces Mountain), in southern Hubei Province, has been a summer retreat since the late 19th century. Foreign missionaries and Chinese officials built villas here to escape Wuhan's b
Ergun, in northern Inner Mongolia, sits on the Argun River across from Russia. This small city is one of China's most remote border towns, with a unique blend of Mongol, Russian, and Chinese cultures.
Daocheng, in southern Sichuan near the Yunnan border, is the gateway to the Yading Nature Reserve. This small Tibetan town, at 3,750 meters, serves as the last outpost before the sacred mountains. The
Hailuogou (Conch Gully), on the eastern slope of Gongga Mountain in Sichuan, contains China's lowest-altitude modern glacier. At just 2,850 meters, the glacier tongue is accessible to visitors without
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Qinghai Lake, at 3,200 meters elevation in Qinghai Province, is China's largest lake. For Tibetans, it is a sacred sea; for the Chinese government, it is a critical ecological zone. The lake's vast bl
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Xidi and Hongcun, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Anhui Province, represent the finest Hui-style architecture and merchant culture. But which should you visit? This guide compares the two to help
Yinchuan and Lhasa are two of western China's most distinctive capital cities. Both serve as gateways to vast, culturally distinct regions — Ningxia's Hui Islamic heartland and Tibet's Buddhist platea
Tongwancheng, in Jingbian County, Shaanxi Province, is the only surviving city built by the Xiongnu — the nomadic confederation that troubled China's borders for centuries. Founded in 419 CE by Helian
Chengkan, in Shexian County, Anhui Province, is famous for its "Bagua" (Eight Trigrams) layout and exceptional Hui architecture. Founded in the Tang Dynasty, the village was designed according to Feng
Nuodeng, in Yunlong County, Yunnan Province, is a village preserved by salt. For over 1,000 years, salt mining generated wealth that built a town of remarkable architecture; the decline of the industr
Kuche (Kuqa), in central Xinjiang, was once the powerful Kingdom of Qiuci, a Buddhist center on the Northern Silk Road. The city produced Buddhist art that influenced China and Central Asia; it was al
Wuyuan, in northeastern Jiangxi Province, is often called "China's most beautiful countryside." In spring, its fields of rapeseed flowers create a sea of yellow against white-walled, black-tiled house
Yanji, in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, is the cultural capital of China's Korean minority. The city feels more Korean than Chinese: signs are bilingual, menus feature kimchi a
While Dali Old Town draws most tourists to the region, Xizhou, about 20 kilometers north, offers a more intimate experience of Bai culture. This comparison explores the distinct characters of these tw
Linhai, in coastal Zhejiang Province, was historically the prefectural seat of Taizhou and an important center of Confucian scholarship and maritime trade. Its well-preserved Old Town, ancient city wa
Heijing, in Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, was once one of China's most important salt-producing towns. For over 1,000 years, its salt mines generated wealth that built a town of remarkable architect
Kaili, in southeastern Guizhou Province, is the capital of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture and the gateway to one of China's richest ethnic minority regions. From this modest city, tra
Manzhouli, on China's border with Russia in Inner Mongolia, is one of the country's most unusual cities. Its location at the junction of China, Russia, and Mongolia has shaped a unique blend of cultur
Jiayuguan, in western Gansu Province, marks the traditional western end of the Great Wall. For centuries, this fortress was the last outpost of Chinese civilization; beyond lay the unknown lands of Ce
Zhangye, in central Gansu Province, is home to one of China's most surreal landscapes: the Danxia landform, where hills are striped with red, orange, yellow, and green. This "Rainbow Mountain" has bec